The Garlic Miracle
by Valyriana
Summary: Natsu and Lucy are so far off each other's radar that they wouldn't dream of anything beyond friendship. However, when Natus misses Mirajanes famous devilicious garlic toast at the Fantasia Fair, kissing Lucy is the only way to get himself a little taste. He gets more than either of them expected. NaLu. Fluffy start, smut to come. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


Lucy happily bit into her piece of garlic toast. It was absurdly delicious. All around her, guildmembers crowded the bar and fought even among each other for the last few pieces. It was one of the secret highlights of the annual Fantasia Fair – Mirajanes devilicious garlic toast. Everybody who ever tried it loved it. Lucy saw Erza eat her piece with an expression of deep earnest, while Juvia, after some hesitation, offered hers to Gray, who for once realized an act of true love and appreciated it.  
"It's so good, Mira!", Levi exclaimed with a dreamy expression.

"Yes, thank you, Mirajane. You're so good to us!", Lucy said.

"I'm happy you like it", Mira answered in her modest way. But the twinkle in her eyes showed that she knew exactly how much power her food held over her guildmates.

Lucy nibbled on her last little piece of toast, savouring the taste. Hardly anyone ever got a second piece, the toast was always gone in a minute. Mira refused to make more, saying it was better for all if they didn't eat too much of it. It really contained a ton of garlic. Lucy glanced to the bar at her left. Bixlow hadn't even hesitated to lick the last crumbles. With a sigh, Lucy ate the last piece, noticing that by now, most of the couples in the guild hall seemed to want some space in between them. Even Juvia stopped clinging to Gray. Lucy grinned. Thank Mavis she didn't have to worry about her garlic breath. As Aquarius never failed to remind her, she had no boyfriend.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from somewhere outside.

"Gaaaaarlic tooooooooast!", came Natsus loud voice from the direction of the entrance. "Leave some for meee!" The dragon slayer entered the guildhall like a tornado on legs. With flared nostrils he raced to the bar, yelling loudly on the way. When he discovered that he was too late, his face fell. He even forgot to stop and halfway crashed into the bar, tripping a table as he did so. People jumped up, swearing. One of them was Gray, who seemed more than ready to start a fight, but Natsu didn't even notice. He sniffed, his eyes roaming the guildhall and then he moved very quickly. Lucy, who stood all at the back of the hall next to the bar, jumped slightly when he suddenly stood in front of her.  
"Garlic...", he whispered, his eyes determined.  
"I got nothing left - ", she began.  
She never finished that sentence. She never even remembered.  
Natsu bent down and kissed her. He pressed his lips against her, blocking her body by pressing both hands against the wall, right next to her arms. His lips were burning hot and she felt the tip of his tongue, licking the last bit of garlic taste from her lips.  
Under normal circumstances, Lucy would have screamed bloody murder. She would have hit him and thrown him out of the guildhall. She would have died of embarrassment.  
But as it was, right in that moment, Lucy was veeery tipsy. For the last hour, as they all waited for Miras famous Garlic Toast, they had shared some bottles of fine Magnolian wine. After four glasses, Lucy didn't quite realize the implications of what Natsu did. Though she heard the jeering and cries of the people around, some of them clapping, many – way too many ways of "I knew it! They are a couple!" and some rude remarks, this all seemed to her some incoherent background noise.  
Natsus lips on her claimed all her attention. Through all her surprise and dizziness, it felt good. In fact, the kiss was amazing. Somehow, she wasn't surprised for long. Her mind was blank and her body just reacted. She felt Natsus every touch intensely and it sent shivers down her spine. All she wanted right now was to continue kissing him. She laid her arms around his neck, trailing his scarf. Then Lucy opened her lips and welcomed him.  
"Whoooo! Look at that!"  
"Get a room!"  
Natsu seemingly ignored the rest of Fairy Tail just as well. He sighted softly against her as he accepted her invitation. His mouth tasted of smoke and firewood. Lucys legs trembled as she felt his tongue agains hers. He was so incredibly _close_. She gasped for air and caught a glimpse of his expression before he claimed her lips again. He looked focused in a way she had only seen before when he was in battle.

Some sort of commotion broke out after that and Lucy heard voices coming closer. Natsu interrupted the kiss for a moment, turned and punched somebody. There was yelling and swearing. Flames crackled. As Natsu turned back towards her, she saw flames still licking from his lips. He carelessly used the back of his hands to wipe his mouth, a movement she had seen countless times before.  
He grinned. "Now I'm all fired up!" With that, he bent his head down to kiss her again. The taste of smoke was much more intense now. Lucy loved it.

She felt dizzy as some sort of realization washed over her. Oh God, she was kissing _Natsu._ Her partner and Nakama. She was kissing the man who broke into her apartment all the time, who ate her food and never apologized, who wrecked ruin wherever he went. The man who had never looked twice at her body, even when she put on the most revealing outfit. The man who had saved her in battle many times, who had carried her when she was injured. Didn't she know him better than anyone else? But right now, everything was new. New, wonderful and very exciting.

Lucy grabbed his hair and pulled him closer. He responded with a soft groan and continued to explore every inch of her mouth. His tongue played with hers, he softly pulled at her lip, gasping for air and kissing her again and again. He slightly tilted his head to deepen the kiss, his breath hot against her. Natsu kissed her as if he had done that a thousand times before. Who would have thought he was a great kisser? In her dizzy state, Lucy realized that he must be experienced. That, or his instincts were even more amazing than she had assumed.

When they broke the kiss after a long time, their guildmates had long lost all interest in them. Lucy looked up at Natsu, but it was hard to judge his expression. His body blocked the light and she couldn't see his face very clearly. He was out of breath, just like her. Apart from that, she had no idea how … this … had affected him.  
"Um, that...", Lucy began.  
"That was yummy!" Natsu grinned.

"Don't I have a horrible garlic breath?", she asked, grinning too.

"No! It tastes delicious!"

Lucy suddenly felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. So it was the garlic toast! All he had wanted was a taste of the delicious food.  
"Yeah...", she managed weakly. How could he look so carefree? They must have been kissing for half an hour or longer, how comes it hadn't affected him at all? Lucy felt her own face burning with heat, her legs felt like jelly and she wasn't sure she could stand if he stepped away now. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, to feel more of him. Hell, she wanted way _more_ than kissing. Her grip around his neck tightened.  
"Natsu… have you ever kissed before?", she asked.  
"No", he said, still grinning. "I had no idea you taste so good, Lucy. I would have done it much sooner!"

Lucy's heart fluttered with hope.  
"Did you like it, too?", he asked, suddenly sounding a bit concerned. Judging by his expression, Natsu had no idea of her inner turmoil. He probably feared she would yell at him like she did when he ate her food.  
"I… oh, yes, Natsu. I liked it. Very much." _Damn. Too much!_ She was still very much in a daze and the words had just tumbled out like that. Shocked about her own confession, Lucy suddenly pulled her arms back. "I – I mean..."  
"That's good!" Natsu smiled brightly. "I thought you liked it, but I wasn't sure." He looked around. "Hey, where did everybody go?"

Lucy glanced towards the entrance of the guild and noticed that it was dark outside. Her mouth felt dry. How late was it? She and Natsu must have been here for hours…  
"We're gonna miss the fireworks!", Natsu exclaimed with a look of alarm.  
"I think I'll pass", Lucy murmured. "Damn, I'm thirsty." Her hand found her glass on the bar next to her and she emptied it quickly. Whoops. More wine. In her weak state, the alcohol hit her like a physical blow. She sagged against the wall.  
"No way! Fireworks, Lucy!" Natsu looked incredulous. "Do you want some water?"  
She nodded weakly.  
"I'll get us some. All that kissing made me thirsty, too." He grinned again and his eyes shone bright with excitement. Without warning, he bent down and pressed a small kiss against her lips. "I'll be right back!"

Lucy closed her eyes because the room was spinning around her. The touch of his lips and the smell of firewood still lingered. Wow. He seemed to like kissing her. But what did he feel? Was it just fun for him? Would he want … more? She could feel her cheeks burning at the thought.

"Here, drink this." Natsu pressed a cold glass into her hand. Lucy took it with relief. It helped clear away the dizziness and brought her back to her senses faster than she liked. Once again the realization of what had happened hit her. _Our guildmates… they're all gon_ _n_ _a think that Natsu and I… that we are a couple_ _or..._ _._  
"Come one, we got to go! The fireworks have already started!" Without waiting for an answer, Natsu grabbed her hand and pulled her with him. She had no choice but to follow him. Stumbling, she yelled at him to go slower. As always, he didn't listen. When they were outside in front of the hall, thankfully he stopped. It seemed a good spot to watch the sky.  
"Whoaaa! Look at that one!" Natsu grinned, showing his little fangs. Huge blossoms of ice emerged from somewhere down in Magnolia. It seemed Gray was having fun.

"I'm gonna melt that", he said with a devilish gleam in his eyes. Lucy was still panting from the little sprint and was too slow to stop him.

With a roar, Natsu spit flames towards the sky. A series of fiery explosions didn't just melt the ice flowers but turned them to mist in an instant. Through the haze, Lucy glimpsed some funny looking fire flowers. They reminded her of children's drawings, all goofy but somehow cute. She chuckled.  
"Damn." Natsu made a face. "How did that jerk get them done so well?"

"Try a simple form", Lucy suggested. "You could put a big star or a sun up there, right?"

Natsu looked at her for a moment. He slightly cocked his head, as if figuring something out. Then he suddenly nodded.  
"I'll do that", he said. "Just watch, Lucy!"

And with another roar, he created an explosion that formed a huge heart in the sky. Lucy took a surprised breath. She heard sounds of awe in the distance. The heart was beautiful and very impressive due to its enormous size. Where did he get that idea …? When she looked at him, she met his gaze. He grinned softly.  
"It's on your shirt", he said. "You have lots of hearts on your shirt."  
Lucy looked down at her shirt. He was right. She wore one of her favorites from Heart Kreutz and the chest was covered with big hearts.

"It's great", she said. "It's … really beautiful, Natsu." She looked back at the burning heart and felt a strange sensation, both sadness and happiness gripping her chest. A deep yearning awoke inside her and she had no idea why she suddenly felt like something very important was missing in her life.

In that moment, someone decided the fire show was over. With a bright light, a gigantic sword appeared in the sky and stabbed right through the heart. Lucy heard cries of delight all around. She grinned. The sword shone beautifully in the fire.

"Seems Erza wants to continue."  
Natsu laughed. "Woaaah! I never saw such a huge sword!" He allowed the flames to fade out. "Hope she never uses THAT against me!"

Soon the gigantic sword was surrounded by hundreds of smaller blades forming intricate patterns in the sky. They were all shining with Erzas magic.

Lucy looked back at Natsu standing right next to her when a horrible realization suddenly hit her. After first seeing Natsu and her kissing, their guildmates now saw an enormous heart in the sky. What would they think? Natsu was not exactly known for romantic gestures. They probably wouldn't believe he had just copied a form on her shirt. So there really was only one conclusion they would all come to.

"Oh, god...", she moaned. "Natsu, have you any idea what you did?"  
"Why?" He looked at her, alarmed. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Have you any idea what a heart stands for, Natsu?", she asked with desperation.  
"Of course. It means love, right?" He smiled, seemingly without a care in the world.  
"So – you mean you knew, – but..." Lucy stopped, confused.  
"Love is for Nakama, right? It means we're like a family", Natsu said.  
"Oh, right." She sighed deeply. "It's not as simple as that. Listen to me." She stepped right in front of him. "There's two kinds of love. The one is for Nakamas and the other… is romantic." She felt herself blush but decided to ignore it. Hopefully he wouldn't notice in the dark.  
"What we did this afternoon… is considered romantic."

He looked at her without seeming to comprehend.

"The kissing, Natsu!"  
"Oh, that!" He grinned.  
"And that heart in the sky has probably looked _very_ romantic to most people who saw it", she continued. "Gosh, even I found it romantic."  
"You did?" He seemed intrigued. Damn, she had a loose tongue tonight.  
"That's not the point! Can you imagine what everybody _thinks_ now, Natsu? The whole guild knows it was you who made that heart!" She was starting to feel exasperated.  
"Sure they know! I showed that ice-idiot right -"  
"Noo! Natsu! Do you even listen? They are gonna think we are together! That we are going out, you know!" Lucy grabbed his shoulders, nearly shaking him.

"Oh?" He cocked his head.  
"They will think that we are a _couple_!"  
"Ah. Are we not?" He still looked like she was making a big fuss about nothing at all.  
"What – what do you mean?" Suddenly, her legs felt weak again.

"Aren't we together?", he said with a smile, seemingly amused by her exasperation.  
"But… but… we… " Lucys heart started to hammer in her chest. Was he serious?

"We are partners, right? We are a team. We always go out together."  
"That's… that's not the same..." She felt like crying.

"You really worry too much, Lucy." He looked down at her, completely unfazed, bent his head and kissed her again.

Lucys heart nearly skipped a beat. His lips were hot against her and she lost all train of thought. His lips felt way too good on hers and she greedily kissed him back, wanting more. He was just as hungry, parting his lips and asking for entry. Her legs nearly gave out and she tried to steady herself against him. Her hands found the fabric of his open tunica and she leaned against his chest, her fingers on his bare skin. He shuddered softly.  
"I like that", he said between kisses. "I want you closer..." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to him. Suddenly, their bodies were pressed against each other. His body radiated heat and she was wrapped in his scent of smoke and firewood. Lucys heart was racing and she felt heat building deep down in her stomach. She gasped for air, but didn't want to stop kissing him for more than a split second. His lips were right back on hers and he growled softly. His arms around her tightened possessively. The heat in her stomach was growing. Aware of his strength, she knew hat nothing in the world could break his embrace as long as he didn't want to let her go.  
When they had to break the kiss for air, they were both breathing heavily. Natsus burned and she could have sworn she saw steam rising from his body. Lucy licked her lips and shuddered softly under his gaze. How had she never realized how hot Natsu was? He was completely different from normal. She had only seen him so serious and intent in battle.

"You taste so good", he murmured, softly kissing her cheek. His lips slowly wandered to her ear and she felt his teeth as he lightly pulled her earlobe.  
She was still panting. "Natsu, I..." She buried her face against his shoulder, trembling with yearning and unspoken desire. _I never want to stop. I want to do this every day._ She nearly said it out loud.

He licked her, right below her ear. Lucy yelped in surprise. His hot breath washed over her neck as he explored every inch of it.  
"Natsu, that – ah, no, stop! That's, ah… incredible..." She hardly knew what she was saying, the words just spilling from her lips. After some time, his touches became unbearable and she squirmed, turning her head towards him.  
"Kiss me", she said in a breathless voice. He complied immediately. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lost herself in the sensations. She didn't even notice that several people passed them on their way to Fairy Tails guildhall.

Erza, Cana, Gray and Juvia walked from the city centre back to the guild hall. Juvia was even more clingy than normal tonight, which Gray assumed was Natsu's fault. Why did the idiot have to put a huge flaming heart up into the sky? All the girls had been swooning. How annoying! Even Mirajane and Erza hat smiled at the huge heart, like it meant something. Gray scoffed. Stupid romantic stuff, as if Natsu had any clue about what he did.

"Oh, look at them _now!_ " Cana grinned like the devil in person. She pointed towards a couple standing near the guild entrance. Grays jaw dropped as he recognized them. It was Natsu holding Lucy in his arms, kissing her with abandon. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and they were so close, so … intimate, that Gray averted his eyes. It seemed they had just completely forgotten where they were.  
"Again", he groaned.

"Ohh, how romantic!", Juvia goshed.

"Thats... rather shameless", Erza commented, staring at Natsu and Lucy.  
"Erza, you are blushing!", Cana exclaimed. "Did you perhaps think of someone else right now?"

"Not at all!" Erza gestured wildly in embarrassment.

Gray couldn't help but stare at them again. In the afternoon, they all had been so shocked when Natsu went to Lucy and kissed her. Just like that, as if it was the most normal thing. And Lucy had kissed him back just like that, instead of screaming bloody murder like they all had expected and hoped for. It seemed as if they had been going out for some time now. What a weird thought, considering Natsu never took anything serious apart from fighting and eating.

"Juvia wonders how Lucy convinced him to date her", the water mage said dreamily.  
"Seems to me she didn't need to convince him much", Cana grinned, shamelessly watching the couple. "Just look at him, he's all fired up. Uh, I bet he's really good at that. Who would have thought?"  
"Cana!", Erza exclaimed. "Come on now, stop staring at them!"  
"You know, I think we really underestimated Natsu…"  
Erza grabbed her and forcefully dragged her with them into the guild hall.


End file.
